It’s JPMorgan’s turn. AT&T did it. Amazon did it. Walmart did it too. Many large corporations and institutions are calling quits on remote work. And now, JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the U.S., reportedly plans to end remote work and require more than 300,000 employees to work from the office five days a week.
In April 2023, JPMorgan’s managing directors were required to return to the office five days a week. Now Bloomberg reports that all the bank’s employees will soon be required to do the same.
The pending return-to-office announcement is likely to come within weeks and would end “a hybrid-work option for thousands of staff and returning to the attendance policy that was in place before the pandemic,” according to Todd Gillespie and Sridhar Natarajan.
Why JPMorgan is likely ending remote work.
When the chairman and CEO of the company is as vocal an advocate for in-person work arrangements as Jamie Dimon, it could be expected that a return-to-office (RTO) mandate would eventually come. And when this same CEO expresses disbelief about government buildings being empty and views it negatively when federal employees aren’t going into the office, you can expect that his own employees would soon be required to return to the office.
Leadership decisions matter. And the leadership and workplace culture philosophy of the chief executive inevitably impacts decisions such as remote and hybrid-work policies. As it stands currently, approximately 60% of JPMorgan’s workforce reports to the office five days a week. The new RTO mandate would require the remaining 40% to do the same.
JPMorgan’s leader believes that when employees are inside the office working together (instead of remotely or for a few in-person days here and there) the company and its employees experience greater levels of innovation, creativity and teamwork. Dimon is a workplace traditionalist and believes that face-to-face communication and collaboration are better for employee engagement, learning and growth than the alternative.
Surely, there are likely additional reasons why JPMorgan is ending remote work for its employees. But when the leader openly feels—and expresses himself—this way, the organization (even one as large as JPMorgan) bends to the leader’s will.
The driving force behind implementing such expansive polices in support of remote and hybrid work was COVID-19, the global pandemic which first became a huge factor for all U.S workplaces in early 2020. That was five years ago, and the United States has long since tamped down the spread of the disease with social distancing and vaccines.
So, when you think of it, the question is really less about why JPMorgan is now—in 2025—planning to end remote work and more about how it ever permitted it for so long given Jamie Dimon’s overt disagreement with it.
Two instances where JPMorgan’s CEO made his views clear on remote work.
There are plenty of interviews where Jamie Dimon shares his thinking on the pros and cons of remote work, among other things. There are also many articles and commentators highlighting his views. What the research shows is that Jamie Dimon is not alone. Many CEOs have expressed a desire and need to end or limit remote work. Here are just two instances where JPMorgan’s CEO made his views on the matter clear.
- Regarding remote work, Dimon said the following during the 2024 Atlantic Festival. “I’d also, by the way, make Washington, D.C. go back to work. I, I can’t believe when I come down here the empty buildings. I mean, the people who work for you are not going into the office anymore. I don’t allow that at JP.” And now, five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, it appears he won’t.
- Dimon told Spectrum News in 2023 that while remote work is okay for some, “in general there is nothing like face to face, and I think for younger people, for collaboration, for information sharing for, for innovation, face-to-face is how it works.”
There are other options for remote work.
- Are you a JPMorgan employee at odds with the pending RTO mandate?
- Do you work with a different company that has rescinded its remote-work policies?
- Has working a remote job become a non-negotiable in your career journey?
No need to fret. Yes, there is plainly a contracting of work-from-home and remote-work options, but there are still quite a few employers openly embracing more flexible remote-work options for employees. And they are hiring!
I recently identified 10 different remote jobs with salaries from $200,000 and well into the high $300,000 range. These jobs come with great benefit packages, and most of them are still available today. But there are many, many more remote-work options available.
Top companies and organizations offer high-paying remote jobs with full benefit packages, including bonuses, etc. If you currently work for JPMorgan or another company who will or has already stipulated strict RTO mandates, you have options. You just have to know where and how to look for remote work that is currently available and will come available in the future.
The U.S. News & World Report identifies the following nine websites for legit remote jobs. Review LinkedIn as well for remote-work listings, and you’re covered.
- FlexJobs.
- Remote.co.
- Indeed.com.
- We Work Remotely.
- Zip Recruiter.
- Jobspresso.
- Working Nomads.
- Remote OK.
- JustRemote.
Additional related reading:
10 Remote Jobs Paying $200,000+ Posted: Full Time With Benefits
Nail The Interview: Answer ‘Why Should We Hire You’ Like A Pro
3 Of The Top-Paying Freelance Jobs For 2025